Software Engineering Institute and U.S. Army Reserve Partner on Information-Assurance Initiative

U.S. Senator Rick Santorum says program will better equip U.S. Army

PITTSBURGH, PA, April 17, 2003—Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute (SEI) hosted U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and representatives from the U.S. Army Reserve’s Chief Information Officer’s office today for the launch of a new partnership between the SEI and the Army Reserve Information Operations Command (ARIOC). A champion of cyber security, Senator Santorum helped to secure $1.5 million in funding for this initiative between the SEI and the U.S. Army Reserve to promote information assurance.

This partnership will give the Army Reserve access to the world-class resources developed by the SEI to provide protection and defense of critical U.S. Army infrastructures. The ARIOC brings Army Reservists with high technology skills developed in their civilian occupations to support the Army and the rest of the DoD in the critical areas of information assurance. The new partnership will enhance these skills by training Reservists to act as teams, conduct information assurance operations and respond to threats.

“Senator Santorum is a leader in the U.S. Senate in the high-technology arena, and he has routinely supported the work of Carnegie Mellon and the SEI in the critical domain of information-assurance technologies,” Stephen E. Cross, CEO and director of the SEI stated. “This joint partnership will enhance the ARIOC’s ability to support the Army and the rest of the DoD in the areas of information-assurance training, operations, and threat assessment and response.”

Senator Santorum, a champion of cyber security, has secured $1.5 million in funding for this particular initiative between the SEI and the U.S. Army Reserve to promote information assurance.

“The SEI continues to make Pennsylvania a leader in the field of information assurance through their study and dissemination of information-assurance standards and practices,” said Senator Santorum. “As we continue to rely on information technology to support our civilian and military needs, we must guard against non-traditional threats and address our cyber vulnerabilities. The partnership between the SEI and the U.S. Army Reserve will equip our military to counter these threats.”

The ARIOC is composed of five regional information operations centers that were established based on their proximity to national information-technology centers, with the North Central IOC headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa.